The Houthi terrorist group says it has resumed attacks on shipping off the coast of Yemen, targeting a container ship, the Contship Ono, on Aug. 7 with ballistic missiles and drones.
The attacks broke a two-week lull.
The Houthi attacks resumed after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Israel hasn’t acknowledged the hit, which came a few hours after one that Israel did take credit for: the killing of Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr outside Beirut.
After the terror group fired a missile on July 19 that hit an apartment building in downtown Tel Aviv, Israel, less than a half-mile from the U.S. consulate, Israel retaliated the next day with an air strike against the rebel group’s main port of Hodeidah.
That strike hit fuel depots and electrical stations.
Vows of retaliation by Iran and its proxies have led to fears of a wider war that the Houthis may join.
No damage was reported from the four attacks that the Houthis said they had made on Aug. 8 and Aug. 9 on the Liberian-flagged Contship Ono. The vessel was in the strategic Bab el-Mandab Strait that links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
In the first, a rocket-propelled grenade launched by men in two small boats missed the ship. The second was variously reported to have been a missile that missed or a drone that hit but caused no injuries or damage.
A third attack involving a sea drone was foiled when guards aboard the Contship Ono opened fire and destroyed it, according to the private security firm Ambrey.
In a fourth attempt, another missile missed the vessel.
An earlier strike, using ballistic missiles on the Liberian-flagged MV Groton in the Gulf of Aden on Aug. 3, did more damage.
The ship, 60 miles offshore en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was damaged, but there were no injuries or water pollution, its managing company, Conbulk Shipmanagement, said in a statement.
The Groton diverted to Djibouti. The missile strike caused a fire in the cargo holds and containers on the main deck. The crew was able to extinguish the blaze, according to the company.
A Houthi spokesman said they also launched drones attacking the U.S. destroyer Cole and ballistic missiles at the U.S. destroyer Laboon on Aug. 7. A U.S. official said no data or information corroborated the claim of an attack on the warships.
The Defense and State departments didn’t respond by publication time to requests by The Epoch Times for comment on the alleged attacks.
The United States made retaliatory strikes against targets in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that it destroyed two drones, a Houthi ground control station, and three anti-ship cruise missiles.
“These weapons presented a clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” the statement reads.
CENTCOM stated that “reckless and dangerous behavior” by the Houthis had threatened regional stability but gave no further details and didn’t confirm that any U.S. vessels had been attacked.
Beefing up forces that could be used against the Houthis, the U.S. Air Force deployed F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the Middle East from a base in the UK on Aug. 8. The United States has declined to say where the aircraft landed because of host nation sensitivities.
The Houthis have targeted more than 70 vessels with missiles and drones in a campaign that has killed four sailors since the Gaza war’s start in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two during that time.
Most missiles and drones were either intercepted by U.S.-led coalition forces in the Red Sea or splashed down short of their targets.
The rebels maintain their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States, or the UK as part of a campaign that they say seeks to force an end to the Gaza war.
However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The attacks have disrupted the more than $1 trillion worth of goods that flow annually through the region and sparked some of the most intense combat the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II.
Some ships have rerouted to sail around Africa, adding thousands of miles to their journeys.
